This past weekend, me and two other girls from the program took a 3-night weekend trip to Madrid. We left from Casablanca airport so the flights were only about $70, an amazing deal. We stayed in Hostel Dolce Vita in the neighborhood of Cheuca, a trendy area known for its bars, nightlife and mostly gay crowd. A nice break for us considering we wouldn't be hit on every time we stepped outside. It was my first time staying in a hostel but it was surprisingly clean and very charming, with a triple bedroom with flower lights and multicolored walls.
On Saturday, we spent the day touring the major tourist areas, including Puerta de Sol, a large square with tons of entertainers, restaurants, and stores. We saw Mickey Mouse, Spongebob, a Mariache band, and lots more. We contemplated tackling Spongebob and Patrick but there were too many kids around. Mickey tried to charge me for taking a picture of him so I gave him a Moroccan dirham (he couldn't tell the difference with his big head)- am I going to Disney hell for ripping off Mickey Mouse?
Then we headed to Plaza Mayor, another famous square which hosts restaurants and entertainers as well. We saw magicians, mascots, headless sequined men, and women dressed in flamenco dresses. A man was also blowing the coolest bubbles I've ever seen- they covered an entire person!
We spent a majority of the day shopping - Spain has amazing clothes! Although it was a bit of a shock to go from spending Moroccan dirhams to Spanish Euros- that part wasn't so fun. Spain is huge on soccer so Real Madrid and FC Barcelona stuff everywhere.
For dinner, I had paella, a Madrid must. Paella is a Spanish rice dish with prawns, mussels, squid and different veggies. It wasn't the best I've ever had, but good nonetheless.
We also stopped in a crepe store and had the most incredible crepes I've ever tasted. It was filled with oreos, nutella, caramel, and topped with dulce de leche ice-cream and whipped cream. Absolutely divine.
In the evening we went to a drag bar called "A Noite," where we saw a drag show in Spanish. Not understanding a word of spanish, I simply admired that these men could walk in heels better than I do.
The night didn't end very well, since the girls got so wasted that they both literally threw up all over themselves (and on my shoe!). Being the only sober one was quite frustrating. I can never understand why getting that drunk can be considered a good time.
On Sunday we visited the Palicio Real, or the Royal Palace, and then walked around the city some more. Madrid is an friendly city to navigate, and we were able to walk to all the places we wanted to see. We also had Spanish hot chocolate, which is delicious and so thick that it tastes just like melted chocolate.
We flew back to Morocco on Monday at noon. It was a great weekend getaway, and a nice change of pace after being in Africa for two months. Shopping in Spain was amazing, and don't worry, I got lots of gifts for everyone! Now only a few days until spring break. London, here I come!
